S. Williams stays perfect on clay court

ROME, May 15 (UPI) -- Serena Williams Tuesday carried over her momentum from last week's championship in Madrid to Rome, easily winning her first-round Italian Open match.

Williams, seeded ninth, had little trouble with Kazakhstan's Galina Voskoboeva, dispatching her 6-2, 6-3 to keep her perfect record on clay courts this year intact at 14-0.

The American star goes on to face Russian Nadia Petrova.

Moving on to the third round was second-seeded Russian Maria Sharapova, who defeated American teenager Christina McHale 7-5, 7-5. The former world No. 1 has already racked up one clay-court title this year, taking last month's Stuttgart event.

United Press International is a leading provider of news, photos and information to millions of readers around the globe via UPI.com and its licensing services.

With a history of reliable reporting dating back to 1907, today's UPI is a credible source for the most important stories of the day, continually updated - a one-stop site for U.S. and world news, as well as entertainment, trends, science, health and stunning photography. UPI also provides insightful reports on key topics of geopolitical importance, including energy and security.